Bachmann removes fair logo from ad

Rep. Michele Bachmann may have had a little too much fun with the Minnesota State Fair’s logo, and she’s now removed it from a new ad attacking her Democratic opponent.

In an ad released Tuesday, the Bachmann campaign accused Democratic state Sen. Tarryl Clark of raising taxes on state fair staples, including beer. The spot used the state fair logo twice, and fair officials protested.

Story Continued Below

The fair said the logo was under trademark and the campaign did not ask for permission to use it. State fair spokeswoman Brienna Schuette said in a Tuesday statement that the fair wanted the Bachmann campaign “to end the unauthorized usage of the Minnesota State Fair logo.”

She said the organization also did not want to appear as though it supported any particular party or politician.

The Bachmann campaign said it still believes it has a legal right to use the logo but has agreed to “swap it for a more generic icon” out of respect for the event.

“The focus of our advertisement is [Clark’s] record and not the logo of the state fair,” Bachmann political adviser Andy Parrish said in a statement. “Congresswoman Bachmann has been a lifelong fan of the Minnesota State Fair, and out of good faith will be swapping out parts of the advertisement.”

The state fair started last week and will run through Sept. 6. The Bachmann ad is the latest in a series featuring “Jim the Election Guy” — and in the state fair spot, he tells viewers, “So if you see Tarryl Clark at the fair, just ask her, ‘What's up with voting to tax my beer?’"

The charge refers to Clark’s April 2009 vote for a broad tax bill that included increases in the state’s excise tax rates for beer, wine and spirits, the Bachmann campaign said.

Bachmann and Clark are in the early stages of what promises to be a lengthy and expensive advertising war through the fall. Bachmann has raised over $4.5 million for her race, and Clark has pulled in $2.4 million.

Clark is also spending money on TV ads. Her campaign hit Bachmann over the BP oil spill — highlighting Bachmann’s warning to BP not to be “chumps” as the company worked with the federal government to pay for the cleanup.

By July 21, in advance of the primary, Bachmann had $2.4 million in cash to spend, while Clark had $800,000.